Diagnostic Radiography and Imaging (BSc)

Why study this course

Our full time, three year diagnostic radiography and imaging programme is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council and the Society and College of Radiographers, and the skills you obtain are transferable to all NHS organisations and are recognised overseas. This will help you to develop the skills necessary to become a qualified diagnostic radiographer who is proactive and responsive to the rapidly changing landscape of clinical radiography.

Diagnostic radiographers are key members of the healthcare team who work closely with doctors, and other healthcare professionals to provide personal and supportive care to people of all ages. They operate a wide range of imaging equipment available in modern medical practice including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, diagnostic ultrasound and X-ray equipment.

As a diagnostic radiographer you will be responsible for providing comprehensive care for patients from new born children to the elderly, producing and interpreting images to be used in the diagnosis of injury and disease. By the end of the programme you will have a thorough knowledge of the professional and clinical aspects of diagnostic radiography, including the wide range of imaging technologies in use today.

People are at the heart of our practice and the development of skills to aid your care of individuals is a central focus of the programme. The School provides an interdisciplinary environment, with opportunities for shared learning and inter-professional education. Therefore, opportunities to learn with and from other healthcare students, especially in respect of person-centred care will be part of the programme.

We offer an integrated mixture of university-based study and practice placements in the clinical setting. Students are required to work shifts and weekends as part of their clinical placements. We work collaboratively with NHS organisations across South and West Wales so that you are competitive in the employment market upon qualification.

You will receive close academic support from experienced personal tutors and be taught and supported by experienced staff whilst sharing ideas within a close-knit class and you will also benefit from placements supported by experienced radiography clinical lecturers. A varied profile of placement experience undertaken at optimal times across the three years of the programme will allow you to integrate academic theory with practice and gain insight as to the wide-ranging employment opportunities available to you upon qualification.

You will have the opportunity to undertake an original research project representing the culmination of your three years of study. The research study aims to equip you with the necessary skills for ongoing professional development and evidence-based practice.

The programme aims to produce diagnostic radiographers who:

• Are responsible, adaptable, courageous and resilient with a focus on evidence-informed practice;
• recognise the importance of knowledge, understanding and question their current and future professional practice;
• are able to transfer knowledge and skills across different learning environments with people at the heart of their practice while working within a moral and ethical framework.

Accreditations

• Health and Care Professions Council, the (HCPC)
• Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR)

Careers and placements

Career prospects

On successful completion of this programme you will eligible for registration as a diagnostic radiographer with the HCPC. In 2019, 100%* of graduates were employed or undertaking further study within six months of graduating (*UNISTATS 2019).

'As a superintendent radiographer, I find radiography graduates from Cardiff University to be of a very high standard. Graduate possess excellent clinical skills and clear understanding of the professionalism required in the hospital environment.Graduates are instilled with values that are very similar to those of Cardiff and Vale UHB, enabling them to provide quality patient care.Excellent clinical skills makes their induction as a qualified radiographer very straightforward'.

(Superintendent Radiographer, CVUHB, 2018)

Graduate careers

• Diagnostic Radiographer
• Therapeutic Radiographer

Placements

Students will undertake required clinical placement learning in all three academic years with a minimum number of 1460 attendance hours required by all students, which will be monitored through your clinical professionalism records. Clinical placements will be undertaken in a minimum of 3 organisations throughout South and West Wales. Placement lengths vary depending on the level of study and allows students sufficient opportunity to develop the required skills but also provides some flexibility should they need to pay back hours.

In years 2 and 3 of the programme, students will have the opportunity, should they wish, to undertake elective placements abroad, to develop their knowledge and understanding of radiographic practice internationally.  These placements are negotiated and arranged by the individual student with help and advice provided by relevant university staff. All placements will be subject to the University’s Placement Risk Assessment processes.